Plants are capable of detecting drought. The moment they feel it coming, they produce a hormone that enables them to retain water. The hormone ABA works by sending a message to the seeds that the current situation is not appropriate for germination. The action leads to decreased crop yields and food supply in hot locations. With climate change, these situations have significantly augmented.
A team demonstrated that once Antabactin is applied to barley and tomato seeds, it accelerates germination. A new chemical has been discovered that would facilitate the germination of seeds that otherwise lay dormant. The discovery may bring the boom to the Yield Booster Market as it suggests that both Opabactin and Antabactin could work towards helping seeds spring to life – a necessity for a world continuously becoming dry and hot.
The present study is founded upon the team’s previous creation of a chemical that imitated the effects of the ABA hormone. The chemical named Opabactin is responsible for slowing the plant’s growth to retain water and doesn’t wither. It induces plants to close tiny pores present on their stems and leaves, thus trapping moisture within.
After that, the team tried to find a molecule that would bring opposite effects, opening the pores and encouraging germination and plant growth. Seed dormancy has indeed been chiefly removed through breeding; however, it still exists for some crops like lettuce. To find a chemical opposite to Opabactin, the team made 4000 derivatives of it. The compound created as a result successfully blocked the receptor of ABA and was noted to be highly potent.
The chemical founded, Antabactin, can help seeds sprout into healthy plants. Now, farmers can start saving water at the outset of the season by spraying Opabactin. This would help plants “bank” enough water for when they start flowering.
The team revealed that they would continue to explore variations in seed dormancy encouraged by ABA for other plant species. Further, they are also set on examining Antabactin’s applicability in increasing plant growth within greenhouse settings as water in such situations is even more limited.
Researchers are optimistic that they will soon identify the critical molecular players responsible for seed dormancy. Then they can work towards reducing the impact of lost crop yields that occur due to untimely seed plantings and poor seed germinations.
